Portable car-seat bridge



(No Model.)

G. M. EADNER.

PORTABLE GAR' SEAT BRIDGE.

Patented Mar. l2, 19

I l l 'me clams PETERS co. Puoovuwu.. wAsHmofoN, u. c.

GEORGE M. FADNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PORTABLE CAR=l SEAT BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,365, dated March 12, 1895.

Application niet any 2s, 1894..

To all whom t may concern;-

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. FADNER, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Car-'Seat Bridges; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specifica'- t-ion.

This inventionrelates to improvements in portable devices for bridging over the space' between two adjacent seats of a railway car or similar vehicle, so as to render the same available as a couch upon which the traveler may comfortably recline.

The object ofthe invention is to provide a device of the character referred to, whichis capable of beimgifreadilycollapsed or folded into convenient formftor transportation as ordinary hand baggage, andby the employment of which a traveler will be enabled to rest` comfortably in an ordinary passenger car when the superior accommodations of asleepingcar are, for any reason, deniedhim.

The invention consists in the matters herein referred to, and particularly pointed out in the appended`clain`1s.`

A bridging device embodying my inventionl comprises in yitsconstrnctionv a body portion, the length or width of Whichis Substantially equal, to the distancef between the adjacent seat frames of alrailway'car, and which spro videdat its opposite -edges'withm'eans for engaging theside rails 'of the seat frames, or s otherwise adapted to restupon the same, in such manner that it will betlrmly supported' between the seats, preferably wit-h its upper surface substantially on a level withthe surface of the seat cushion, so that it will co-operate` therewith in forming a comfortable couch.

In one approved form' in which my inventionv may be practicallyembodied,I construct the body portion of the bridgein two sections which have hinged or flexible connection with eachother and may be folded together incompact shape for transportation. Preferably, and in the instance illustrated,I each of said sections is made in the form of a hollow casing, so that when folded together they consti- Serial No. 518,791. (No model.)

tute a receptacle within which may be packed such suitable articles as the traveler desires to carry with him- Obviously, when con structed in this form, the device becomes practically a hand Satchel or bag, whieh,'in its general features,ldoes not differ greatly from the usual articles of that nature. A bag of this character isl made of suitable dimensions to properly span the distance between two adjacent seat-s, and is herein shown as provided with eXtensible parts which are normally retracted within the bag, but are adapted, when extended, to securely engage the seat frames so as to support the Satchel between them, in thel manner suggested.l

My invention will be fully understood from the foregoing statement, taken in connection withthefollowing description of one practical embodiment thereof, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure '1 is a sectionalside elevation of two adjacent car seats with my improved bridging device placed between them. Fig. 2 is atop plan view thereof. Fig. 3 isa perspective view of a hand satehel orbag, constructed in accordance witl1 `myinvention,and adapted to be supported between the seats, in the man ner shownin Figs. l and 2.

In said drawings Adesignates the frame work' of two adjacent seats of a railway car or similarvehicle, and A A the pivotally secured reversible backs thereof, which are herein shownas turned in a usual manner to make the two seats V'face each other..

A2 A2 designate: the seat cushions, and a a thesidebars or railsof the seat frames upon which said cushions are supported.

The particular construction ofthe seat is, of"course,'immaterial, and has nothing to do with my invention.

B designates a hand Satchel constructed in accordancewith my inventiomand adapted to form a bridge between the seats A A, as shown in Figs; l and 2. Said satchel co1nprises two similar sections B i32` which have hinged or flexible connection with each other, and are herein shown left open on their inner facespsothat when'folded together for transportation theyconstitute afclosed receptacle within which the traveleris belongings may be packed, in the usual manner.

The length of the sections B B2 is made substantially equal to the distance between the adjacent rails a a of the two seats, and they are provided with extensible parts or lugs b which, when extended, project beyond the ends of the sections and are adapted to rest upon the upper faces of the seat rails a a. Said extensible parts b are herein shown as made in the form of simple sliding bolts, mounted within clips b which are secured to xo the inner faces of the top and bottom walls B3 B4 of the sections. The outer ends of the bolts b enter suitable apertures b2 in the end walls B5 of the sections, and by sliding the bolts endwise within theirl clips b they may be made to project through the apertures b2 a sufficient distance to secure a rm bearing on the top of the rails a.

The bolts l) are preferably located at such a distance from the back Walls BG ot' the seczo tions, that when the satchel is placed in position between the seats with its bolts extended and resting upon the side rails thereof, its side walls B6 will be supported at substantially the level of the seat cushions A2 A2. Accordingly they are in this instance shown as located on the top and bottom walls B2 B3 about midway of the width of the same, the depth of the sections being in this instance considerably greater than the depth of the 3o seat cushions A2 A2. lf, however, the depth of the sections B B2 were made substantially equal to Y that of said cushions the bolts b would have to be placed closely adjacent to the inner or open face of the sections. Projecting knobs or thumb pieces b3 on the bolts b enable the latter to be projected or retracted as desired, and the frictional engagement between the bolts and their supporting clips b normally maintains them in any position in 4o which they may be placed. Obviously, however, a spring or other locking device for maintaining the bolts projected or retracted may be provided, if found necessary.

lt is, of course, desirable that the bridge 4 5 formed by the satchel B should be nearly as long as the seats A A, in order that there may be no unoccupied space at the ends of the latter. To accomplish this without the use of a Satchel of unwieldy dimensions, the sec- 5o tions B B2, instead of being directly connected by a hinged joint asin the ordinary construction, are in this instance connected bya back piece or web B7 which practically forms a continuation of the outside walls BG, and is preferablyconnected with the latter along its marginal edges b4. The width of the web B7 is just` equal to the combined widths of the bottom walls B4, so that when the sections B B2 are brought together said web will hold 6o the edges of their bottom walls B4 in contact, and will constitute in effect the bottom proper of the satchel.

Interfitting projections and sockets b5, be may, if desired, be provided on the meeting edges of the bottom walls B4 or elsewhere to additionally hold the sections in proper relation when folded together.

The upper edges of the sections may be secured by any suitable fastening device, as by an ordinary lock B8, and any suitable handle B9 will enable the Satchel to be conveniently carried.

As shown in this instance, the walls of the Satchel are designed to be constructed of comparatively stiff material, such as heavy cloth covered strawboard or the like, so as to strongly resist being distorted under any degree of weight or pressure liable to be brought thereon, either when in use asa satchel or to span the space between the two car seats. Obviously, however, a satchel embodying my invention may readily be constructed with flexible side walls made of leather or other suitable material by providing it with a sufficiently rigid, skeleton frame work by which said flexible walls will be supported against undue deflection. The connecting web B7 is also herein shown as made of stiff material with flexible margins b4 at its juncture with the side walls B6 of the sections. Obviously such web may be made flexible throughout, but when made of stiff material, is less liable to sag beneaih the weight of the travelers limbs when the Satchel is used as a bridging device.

'When opened and placed between the seats, the contents of the Satchel may be supported therein by retaining straps b2', stretched across the o pen inner faces of the sections B B2, or if desired, a hinged cover may be provided on each of the sections for this purpose. The back walls BG will obviously be supported more or less by the contents of the sections when the latter are completely lled and the straps bl are tightly buckled. It is, however, intended that the Satchel shall be sufficiently rigid to support any necessary degree of pressure thereon when the sections are entirely empty, so that if desired the satchel may be used as a means of transporting blankets or other bedding, which may be taken out before the satchel is placed in position between the seats and afterward spread upon the improvised couch, in an obvious manner.

It will be understood that in its broad aspect my invention is designed tol cover any form of portable bridging device adapted to be placed between two adjacent seats of a railway car, without regard to the form in which the device may be embodied. For example, I may employ a suspended device of hammock form, or a deflatable air cushion which would be capable of being conveniently collapsed and rolled up for transportation, but might be readily inflated for use as a seat bridge. All such modifications, however, I conceive to be within the broad spirit of my invention, and consequently I do not wish to be limited to the particular construction herein illustrated, although in itself that construction comprises features of value, which are also herein claimed.

I claim as my invention- 1. A portable device for bridging over the ICO space between two adjacent seats of a railway car comprising a body portion made of a length substantially equal to the distance between the adjacent seat frames, and provided at its opposite edges with means for engaging the side rails of the seat frames, substantially as described.

2. A portable device for bridging over the space between two adjacent seats of a railway car, comprising two sections having hinged or iiexible connection with each other, and each provided at its opposite ends with means for engaging the side rails of the seat braces, substantially as described.

3. A portable seat bridge, comprising two sections having bridged or flexible connection with each other, and made in the form ot hollow casings adapted to form a receptacle when folded together, and extensible parts adapted to be projected from the opposite end edge of the sections to rest upon the side rails of the adjacent seat frames, substantially as described.

4. As a means for bridging the space between two adjacent seats of a railway car, a hand bag or Satchel comprising two sections having hinged or flexible connection with each other, and extensible parts adapted to be projected from the opposite ends of each of the sections to rest upon the adjacent rails ot' the seat frames, substantially as described.

5. As a means for bridging the space between two adjacent seats of a railway car, a hand bag or Satchel comprising two sections having hinged or iiexible connection with each other, and each provided at its opposite ends with sliding bolts adapted 'to be prO- jected beyond the walls of the satchel to rest upon the adjacent rails of the seat frames, substantially as described.

6. As a means of bridging the space between two adjacent seats of a railway car, a hand bag or satchel provided at. each of two opposite ends with two extensible parts adapted to be projected beyond the walls of the Satchel and firmly support the latter upon the adjacent rails of the seat frames, substantially as described.

7. A hand bag or satchel comprising two sections iiexibly connected by a web, the width of which is equal to the combined widths of the bottom walls of the two sections, and oppositely arranged extensible parts, in each of said sections, substantially as described.

8. A hand bag or section comprising two sections, a web the width of which is equal to the combined widths of the bottom walls of the two sections, and which is lexibly connected with said sections at the juncture of their bottom and side walls, and extensible bolts, adapted to be projected from the end Walls of the sections, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE M. FADNER.

Witnesses:

HENRY W. CARTER, ALBERT H. GRAVES. 

